Vaporizing manifold for internal combustion engines



June 1,2,v 1945. R. w. wARRxcK 2,378,344

VAPORIZIG MANIFOLD FOR INTERNAL-'COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed June 9, 1943ul/lll//lllllll/lllll/l/l III ll/ UNITED* e:Siren:

, vArornzING Memorie Patented June 12d, 1945 maintenait;

ooMnsrroNnNorNss `VRay W. Warrick, Crozet, Va. Application June 3.1943,-.1SeriallNo-439,197 4 3 clarifie (ci. 257-241)'Ihisinventionrelates.toa vaporizing device'for vuse in :connection with.internal combustion en-i .gines ywhere .itis,propos.ed tostart the,engine with gasoline ,or a similar volatile fuel .and then sub.-stitutea cheaperand less volatile .fuel after the enginehasbecomefheated. ,More broadly, it'relates to fuel vaporizing andvnreheating .devices for ,internal .combustion engines.

The linitial ,problem encountered in `.devices yof this characteristhat-ofconcentrating the initial .heatproducedfwhle the 4.engine isoperating `on the more vola-tile gasoline .to ,effectively 'vaporizethe. less; l.volatile .fuelat an .early stage `of the Qplationsand.devices having this problem pri marilyin:mindareillustrated in myvprior Patents No.' ,'2i21i1541and No. 2,242,841.

A :further problem, however, arises in con-nection `with fthe uses of:such devices in -which the fuel ,supply .conduit is more orlessrestricted 'by reason of .the special structure involved .with aresultant increase in the back pressure on the fuel 4mixture supplyresulting in 'a diminished sufficiency ofthe engine in its normaloperation on the less .volatile fuel.

The present linvention is directedy to meeting lboth Aproblems 'byproviding a-highly `reicient heat exchange device between the vwalls .ofthe fuel conduit Where it passes through the exhaust gas manifold-of `aconstruction adapted to substantially eliminate such back pressure andper` mit lthe lfree passagevof vthe fuel mixture which greatlyimprcvesthe efficiency of the engine.

.A further object y is to provide means for thoroughly vaporiz-ingt'hefuel, of Whatever char,-

acter, and distributing heat uniformly throngh-V :i

out the mass. i. f

Afurther object ofthe invention isto provide a vaporizing device of thecharacterindicatedof structure adaptedto prevent yturloulenceor thevformation of objectionable .currents in the fnel .mixture ywithin ,theheating area'.

yFurther objects will more particularly appear 'l in the followingdescription.

The 4invention ,consists in the novel construction, arrangement andcombinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and.claimed.

One sheet of drawing accompanies this specification as part thereof inwhich like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a fragmentaryv vertical cross section taken through aninternal combustion engine showing the application of the presentinvention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 2--2 -of Figure 1:

Cyl

Figure 3 is a .fragmentary enlarged view `:taken on substantially thesame crosssection .line as in Figure l; and.

Figure 4 -is fa perspectveyiewx-of .the heat exchange memberiremovedv.from the fuel conduit.;

Figure 51's a vertical-f`cross-sectiqn taken along the line55 of Figure1.

The present vinventionis'illustrated herein as applied .to aconventional internal .combustion engi-ne -having 'the :Water jacket 2land `,Water .connections y2-2 and 12:3 fleading therefromy to a"radiator, not vshown and in the drawing the numeral I is directed toalcombustion chamber, 2 indicates the cylinder head yand .3 the fuelintake lvalve to Which-fuel is `supplied v'through conduit yl whichextends beyond the cylinder head into-a conduit .:II)\-enclosedewithinthe exhaust gas manifold 5 so as to be completely surrounded by theexhaustfgases inchamber -1 lof said exhaust manifold. Thefuel mixture issupplied -from'la carburetor (not shown) through a conduit y8.

The exhaust gases from the engine cylinders (the drawing illustrates -atwo-cylinder engine for convenience) Var,eeintroduced into ,the exhaustmanifold chamber l through conduits 9 andas illustrated in Figure 2 suchgases limpinge and :Iiowv around :the portion II of 4the -fuel mixtureconduit which extends upwardly yas .an extension of the fuel mixtureconduit 4in the cylinder head and suchfuel mixture condnt may, .for.convenience, be bent as desired hereinshownas a Aright ill Cil

angle to .extend .from'the exhaust-manifold at' such 'point as ,maybedesired 4through .a portion l0. l Within the ,portion .II ofthe.fuelinxture oonduit within the ,exhaust ,gas .manifold is positicned .a.heat exchange `,device I2 which com prises,..as rillustrated .more.clearly in figures 3 and 4, an upper convex deflector ,cap I3 .which asherein illustrated .is Aiorinrrl .asta head for abody core part I4 to.whicharesecnred a .plurality of radially .extending Lplates I5..of,..so1ne suitable heat conducting .materialsuch as metal and.preferably .formed as sheets to reduce .as littleas possible theeffective area ofthe fuel mixture conduit. These plates or fins I 5 arearranged in planes parallel to the axis of said core to avoid a vortexand have their outer edges I8 shaped to closely contact the inner faceof the conduit II 50 from which they are designed to absorb and trans-55 produce vacuum' immediately beneath, which draws part of the mixtureback against the core, causing it to travel parallel with the core andin intimate contact therewith.

The upper edges I6 of these conductor plates I5 are beveled outwardlyand in a direction of travel of the fuel mixture toward the conduit walland the opposed or rear edges I'I are similarly beveled. Adjacent pointswhere these rear beveled walls of plates I5 contact the conduit Wall,that wall is provided with an inwardly directed peripheral flange 20which may be integral with the conduit wall or may as herein illustratedbe formed on a connecting ring I9 adapted to be screwed intojuxtaposition with the conduit II and thus serve to position the heatconductor member I2 in position within the conduit.

This inwardly and downwardly convergent peripheral ange 20 constitutes athermal lip for deflecting the relatively slow moving, relatively hotmixture traveling against the wall of said cylindrical portion intoentraining relation to the relatively fast axially moving, relativelycool mix ture traveling adjacent said core. The lo-wer ends of the finsbeing inclined from the bottom of said core to said lip, provide amixing chamber below the bottom of said core and above the plane of saidlip.

To secure the maximum efciency and prevent the back pressure it isessential that the area b at the point of maximum constriction of theconduit by the deiiector flange 2li shall loe not less than the area ofthe annular space a between the conduit Wall and the deflector cap I3 inthe plane of maximum diameter of said cap.

By reason of the structure, proportioning and arrangement of the part-sof the heat exchange device I2 as described it will be apparent that thefuel mixture passing through conduit Il in the direction indicated bythe arrows will be deflected by the central deiiector element I3outwardly to ward the heated walls of conduit II passing be tween theheat conductor fins I5 in substantialllrv parallel paths and willthereafter be deflected slightly inwardly and toward the center of theconduit within the cylinder head by the peripheral deector flange 20.The fins I5 need not necessarily be strictly radial, but may be arrangedtangential to the body I4 or otherwise as may be convenient, it beingessential, however, that these fins l5 in conjunction with the wall ofconduit II constitute subsidiary conduits parallel with the axis ofconduit Il so that as previously indicated the fuel mixture will passthrough the heat exchange device in substantially parallel columns, thuseliminating any rotary turbulence and reducing the back pressure to aminimum while at the same time transmitting heat from the exhaust gasesthrough the conduit wall I I to the field mixture with the maximumefficiency.

What I claim is:

l. A diffuser and heat exchange device for use in a fuel mixture conduitcomprising a body having an end formed as a convex diffuser cap, aplurality of heat-conducting vanes arranged in heat exchange relation tothe body, said vanes having their outer edges shaped to engage theconduit Wall in heat exchange contact therewith, their forward edges atthe cap end of the body sloped in substantial alignment with the cap,the rear edges opposite the cap end similarly sloped, and means forpositioning the said device in the conduit comprising a follower ringhaving an inwardly directed flange sloped. oppositely to the angles ofthe vane edges.

2. In a combustible mixture conduit for sup plying combustible mixtureto an internal combustion engine, designed to be externally7 heated byexhaust products from said engine, a cylindrical shell forming part ofsaid conduit having an inwardly extending peripheral flange at itsoutlet end with a downwardly convergent inner wall, and a diffuser insaid shell comprising an axial core, a convex circular axial cap at theinner end of said core of such diameter as to overhang said core,metallic supporting means connecting said core and said shell, said coreterminating at its lower end above the plane of the outlet end of saidshell restricted by said flange, the cross-sectional area of the passagethrough said shell restricted by said flange being at least equal t0 thecrosssectional area of the passage through said shell restricted by saidcap.

3. In a combustible mixture conduit for supplying combustible mixture toan internal combustion engine, designed to be externally heated byexhaust products from said engine, a cylin drical shell forming part ofsaid conduit, a diffuser within said shell comprising an axial coreconsisting of an elongated cylindrical member terminating short of theoutlet end of said shell, flat ns in axial planes connecting saidcylindrical member throughout its length to the heated wall of saidshell for conducting heat to said cylindrical member, and themselvesconstituting a heating element, the lower edges of said fins slopingfrom the lower end of said cylindrical member to meet the wall of saidshell adjacent its outlet end whereby an undivided mixing space isprovided between the lower edges of said fins and the'outlet end of saidshell, said diffuser having a circular cap at its anterior end definingwith the Wall of said shell an annular inlet to said shell, theforwardly directed face of said cap being convex for diverting themiddle portion of the mixture column entering said diffuser outwardlytoward the heated wall of said shell and being of larger diameter thansaid cylindrical member whereby part of the middle portion of saidcolumn is diverted toward said cylindrical Y- member by vacuum producedbeneath said cap by flow of mixture past the edge thereof, said diffuserbeing characterized by the absence of any baille in the path of thatpart of the mixture column diverted toward said cylindrical member, theoutlet end of said shell terminating in an inwardly and downwardlysloped peripheral flange and diverting the peripheral portion of themixture column toward the axis of said column.

RAY w. WARRICK.

